***************************************************************************** ******* VF3 Wolf FAQ v.882c-eng 2nd pre-alpha test 5th revision ******* ******* by Jan Andrew Bloxham - November '97 ******* ***************************************************************************** +++++++++++++++++ + 0 + CONTENTS: + +++++++++++++++++ 0 Contents 1 Forword 2 Open letter 3 Comprehensive Movelist * 3.1 Body Attacks 3.2 Running Attacks 3.3 Throws 3.4 Reversals 3.5 Ground Attacks 3.6 Turn Towards Attacks 4 Strategy Section 5 Floats 6 Short Movelist 7 Jargon 8 Obituary 9 A Scary Goodnight Story 10 Mantra 11 Acknowledgements 12 Legal and Other Crap 13 Afterword * OK, so this part is a bit superfluous. +++++++++++++++ + 1 + FORWORD + +++++++++++++++ Eat knees and die, Taka players. +++++++++++++++++++ + 2 + OPEN LETTER + +++++++++++++++++++ Two target audiences for this section: 1) Experienced VF players out there whining about the lack of good FAQ's: Well, do something about it then. 2) People with any say in SEGA-Japan or any other body of influence: Please consider the fact that there are a substantial number of VF-players in the West for whom many things could be done: A) Japanese controls are sorely needed on North American machines. As one says: "Fourth time's the charm!". Who knows, perhaps VF4 could become a hit there. B) There might actually be a couple players who would dare to contest the supremacy of the Tetsujins. T'would be nice if some of them visited for one of the tourny's that are held in the West, either the privately arranged or one of the more official ones. C) If any of the above two items are ever dealt with, you can call me Wolfie. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + 3 + COMPREHENSIVE MOVELIST + ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Key: MOVE NAME MOVE MOTION LEVEL DAMAGE * FRAMES ** General simple description. Positive aspects of the move. Negative aspects of the move. Conclusion, odd details, special comments etc. * Wolf's Twirl & Hurl (HCF+P+G) is the universal standard for damage- measurement, being 100 points. ** Initializing execution/hit-detection/recovery, in number of frames (there are 60 frames to a second). NB: when a natural canned combo is discussed, the frame-stats describe the last move in the combo. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.1 BODY ATTACKS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Low punch (from standing) d+P L 11 16-1-14 Wolf crouches and throws a quick jab. Just like in VF2, this move is still a way to avoid being thrown or deal with dangerous but slowish attacks launched from point blank range. Rather inefficient in it's offensive capabilities since it's very difficult to follow up with any even remotely guaranteed attack - though considerably easier if the lowpunch MC's. AM2 sure tampered with the priority of the low punch from how over- whelmingly important is was in VF2 to the muchly toned-down role it plays in VF3. The reach is much shorter and the move has much less priority than it did in VF2; in general it is much less useful for stopping attacks than it was in VF2. For Wolf, the lowpunch serves mostly to stop quick rushes when you don't want to risk a lowkick. On a MC Wolf isn't that far from having a guaranteed highthrow; sometimes it's worth a shot. Low punch (from crouching) D+P L 9 10-1-14 Wolf jabs while crouching. Quick and non-committing, Wolf's low punch is a fast low-risk attack useful when you feel unsecure about what to do while you're coming out of recovering from a move in a crouching position. An excellent and classic move to use repeatedly in the situation where you find yourself in extreme close quarters with your victim and need to do a few points of damage more to get a K.O., though less brilliant against a character that can reverse low-punches. The short reach of Wolf's low punch renders the move useless except at close range. No likely followup. The difference between this low punch and the abovementioned one speak for themselves: number of frames and amount of damage are the only differences; the two low-punches are otherwise identical. Since this is a low punch done while crouching, it can be used to avoid or rather interrupt low-throw attempts. However, Wolf has another option that is often more interesting... Low kick d+K L 17 16-1-28 Wolf kicks along the ground in a sliding motion. Dodges practically everything, which means that it's almost impossible to interrupt, which in turn means that the move in effect has extremely good priority. High-throw guaranteed on MC's - and that is not a bad thing for someone as adept at throwing as Wolf :-). I've found that the period of time that the victim is stunned in place after being lowkick-MC'ed is long enough for you to actually wait a few frames before you decide on what throw to go for. If the victim enters the throw-escape commands for the T&H instantly, f.ex., you can just let him do that, and then T&H him anyway. You might even gloat a bit, or at least just snicker, when he whines that he entered the correct throw-escape for the T&H and ahould have gotten out of it. Wolf can be low-thrown when the move doesn't connect, and sometimes even when it does (but doesn't MC) - quick attacks such as elbows have a good chance of connecting as well. I have twice seen Wolf get low-thrown immediately after his lowkick MC'ed his oppenent; I stillhaven't been able to figure out how this could happen. Being a quick low attack that is practically impossible to react to or interrupt, and that guarantees a high-throw when it MC's, Wolf's low-kick deserves and plays a major role in any respectable Wolf player's arsenal of favourite attacks. However, anybody who embarks on the journey towards reigning supreme with Wolf must do some serious soul-searching in order to find a balance between the use of low-kicks and other attacks that he can live with, 'cause it can often be very tempting to completely overuse this rather disputably honourable attack. High punch P H 14 12-2-13 Standard high punch. A whole FAQ could be written about the high punch alone (any volunteers? :-) Just like all the other characters', Wolf's high punch is one of the most basic moves in his arsenal. The high punch has a two main purposes: to act as a defensive move (since it fast enough to interrupt many other, and more powerful, moves), and for setting up another attack or throw. Slower than most other characters' high punches (but slightly more damaging). In itself, it is less useful for rushing than for most other characters (f.ex. Jacky), since the possible built-in followups aren't as deadly. But used wisely, and with a good dose of conditioning, it can be just as effective. In Wolf's case the main followups to his high punch is a buffered-in throw, or fast large attack (f.ex. a short shoulder). These two are especially strong choices, since the throw works against a standing defender, and the shoulder will interrupt anything else (except possibly dodges). If Wolf has a good timing advantage (which a high punch that connects gives you, esp. if it MC's), it's exceedingly difficult for the victim to react to one of the two, and must therefore try to predict Wolf. Theoretically, this fact alone gives Wolf a good chance of connecting with whatever attack he should choose. At slightly beyond throwing distance, combinations like High punch - Screw Lariat and High punch - Frankensteiner work well against many people, esp. if Wolf's high punch interrupts an attack and therefore catches the victim off-balance (mentally if not virtual-physically). In short, one can go random on one's oppoenent's ass, ensuring that one can win at least occasoinally, no matter who one is facing. This is a nice tactic to be able to fall back on, when it seems that one's opponent is totally killing you. Those who do this a lot seem to prefer calling it by the more politically correct term "guessing games". Dodging high punch P+E H 14 12-2-13 Wolf dodges and immediately throws a high punch. Faster than manually dodging and then punching. The dodge ducks under high attacks, but not for long. An unfavorable commitment: after a well-timed dodge it's easy to throw somebody who's barely whiffed an attack - in which case the opportunity is spoiled if one merely minor counter high punches them. Sure it works occasionally, but a dodge followed by a throw or short shoulder [float] and followup is usually to be preferred. But if you reckon that a dodge followed by a high punch is the best option you have in a given situation, well, then that's what this one is for. All in all it's a pretty advanced move that's very difficult to use optimally (that's an understatement). High punch, Kick P, K HH 14 + 20 = 34 12-2-25 A high punch followed by a high kick. Doesn't knock down like it did in VF2.0. Usually a guaranteed combo. No direct followup possible. Leaves Wolf uncomfortably open to a counter when it whiffs. An innocent fast attack, and usually not Wolf's best option. It mostly serves to camouflage your main attack-patterns. Also, when your hands are shaking too much to perform complex maneuvers because of the sheer excitement of the match, it does comes in handy :-). Try using it twice in a row, and see how long it takes your opponent to catch on. Then punish him accordingly (hmm, I guess that advice can apply to all the moves...). One certain style of playing - that doesn't explicitly apply to Wolf - is an extensive use of PKG, or a High punch followed by a kick that is retracted immediately after it starts. PKG has several purposes: it serves to confuse the victim so that he waits a split second to see what the PKG'er is doing, and it lets Wolf take a small step forward, hopefully putting him, or rather, the victim, within throwing range. A throw can be buffered into the recovery of the move and will hopefully catch the victim off-guard while he is recovering from being hit by the punch or in blockstun (PKG into Twirl & Hurl is a classic; Wolf's reach is quite impressive if the motion for the T&H is buffered/entered correctly). This is an especially strong tactic against somebody who's never encountered the technique before, but may make the match a bit more hyper if used constantly. Personally, I'm sure it holds a place in the very highest levels of play, but it isn't exactly a dominating factor. Of course, it also largely depends on the style and proficiency of the other player. High punch (double) P, P HH 14 + 14 = 28 9-1-19 Two standard high punches, one with each arm. Microscopically delayable. What makes this combo useful is solely the threat of the possible following uppercut or elbow. In most cases, if the first punch connects, the second one will also. The second punch has a surprisingly pathetic reach, which makes the combo in itself useless in most situations, incl. floats. It's all a question about conditioning. If you condition your victim to expect you to continue this canned combo with his two elbows (see below), you might be able to do a PP into throw every once in a while. At least you will probably retain the initiative because your opponent will be expecting the elbow(s). It all depends on your skill at predicting and out-guessing your opponent, improvising and being innovative - which is what VF3 is all about! In general, I don't personally feel that I'm strong enough to use PP as an effective attack - the 19 frames of recovery is simply too long. I'd prefer using something else that I'm much more comfortable with, like f.ex. two single punches in a row. It's still worth using now and then though, even if you're not counting on it as a actual useful attack - if for nothing else just to vary things a bit. That's a general rule that applies to many moves, in fact. It takes plenty of practice and experimenting to get used to using a move or combination of moves. Eventually one will use it without conscious thought: it will become a part of your natural flow-chart. Less common moves like Wolf's f, f+K+G fall under this category too: it's not a very good move, but having the option of using it can't do any harm - on the contrary: it's a welcome option in certain situations. 1, 2, Upper P, P, P HHM 14 + 14 + 24 = 52 18-2-29 Two standard high punches, one with each arm, followed by an uppercut. The uppercut hits middle, floats on MC's, and has relatively good reach. The first punch and the uppercut will connect onto many floats (esp. the ones where the victim is out of range for anything else having a chance of connecting), pushing the victim quite a bit. Slow, has low priority; does too little damage to be worth using very often outside of floats. Throw-counterable. Personally, I'm not much of an uppercutting fellow. But then, I know a Jeffry player or two that make good use of them, so if they can, why shouldn't Wolf be able to? Well, there are two reasons: A) Jeffry's uppercuts are way better than Wolf's, partly because Jeffry's don't telegraph as obviously as Wolf's do, and, as opposed to Wolf's, have built-in dodges in the initialisation period, and B) Wolf might have better options to chose from... 1, 2, Elbow Smash P, P, f+P HHH 14 + 14 + 16 = 44 12-2-25 Two standard high punches, one with each arm, followed by a high elbow. Very fast combo - all but guaranteed if first punch connects. The elbow has a very short reach. Whole combo is prone to MC'ing low attacks. Less of a gamble than 1, 2, Upper, since the optional additional elbow (b+P, see below) in effect makes the attack practically impossible to counter with a throw. Very hard for the victim to interrupt if he has already blocked the first punch. Combo Elbow Swat P, P, f+P, b+P HHHH 14 + 14 + 16 + 20 = 64 13-3-31 Two standard high punches, one with each arm, followed by a high elbow, followed by Wolf's Elbow Drop (b+P). Very fast combo, yet also comfortably delayable; esp. the last elbow (which has great reach) catches many people attempting to counter- attack after the first elbow misses. The main problem with this series of punches/attacks is that they're all high attacks, with the obvious drawbacks that follow (reversable, prone to low attacks that are likely to MC). The combo is fast enough that it's very difficult to break/interrupt with anything but a low attack as long as the victim is forced to block the first punch. Use it more against people who like to rush with middle and high attacks than against players that are very adept at low kick MC - throwing. However, with careful use and some skillful varying of the timing of the combo (as well as number of punches/elbows), Wolf can sometimes goad his victim into low-kicking too early in the mistaken anticipation of Wolf doing the full combo, allowing for a low-throw when the attack misses. An extra plus is that the last elbow attack is not only delayable, but infinitely so. Combo Elbow, Low Throw P, P, f+P, db+P+K+G HHHLowthrow 14 + 14 + 16 + 70 20-163-1 Two standard high punches, one with each arm, followed by a high elbow, immediately followed by Wolf's Tiger Drop low throw (usually df+P+K+G). The low throw comes out very fast, and will catch anybody crouching stationary and passive under the elbow. Obviously, it is delayable, in a sense (when Wolf recovers fully from the high elbow, the throw becomes his normal bd+P+K+G low throw). Unfortunately, no VF player with any respect for himself will crouch under the high elbow and stay there, since he'd be aware of the possibility of the low throw. But if the victim lowpunches a little too early, you're nicely positioned for a lightning fast low-throw. This possible lowthrow after the elbow usually entices the crouching victim to make a decision before the last attack, and in effect adds to the likelyhood of the Combo Elbow Swat connecting. If the victim gets hit a few times by that he might start getting defensive and just blocking high, in which case you can try to buffer a throw into the recovery of the first elbow. When that doesn't work anymore, start doing Short Shoulders instead. All in all Wolf has enough options after PP that it's not a completely uninteresting situation, even though it can get kinda tough when facing strong players playing quick characters. Btw, I've yet to see somebody get hit by the first three, be allowed to crouch, and then be low thrown (ie the full "combo" isn't a normal combo - hence the missing total in the damage assessment). I don't know if the low-throw is escapable and if so, how. Prolly is. High Kick K H 30 16-2-23 Standard high kick, just like in the good old VF1 days. In itself not a great move, but the possibility of a second high kick (see below) practically doubles the usefulness of this rather plain attack. Always knocks down, 'cept 'gainst Taka. The move is simply bad, at least for a high attack that does so relatively little damage. If used for minor countering it's a waste - it's only 1 frame faster than the short shoulder, and not much of a floating move. In VF1 and VF2 Wolf's High Kick was still a just a move that only came out when you didn't perform the move you intended correctly. In VF3 many characters have had their High Kicks improved, at least enough that on can actually use them, albeit some more than others. Wolf is among the lucky ones - read on below. Double High Kick K, K HH 30 + 20 = 50 21-2-34 Two standard high kicks in immediate succession, one with each leg. Having the possibility of a second high kick is a great advantage for Wolf, sort of like Jacky's optional delayable heelkick after his elbow or bitchslap. Throwing Wolf right after his missed first high kick becomes extremely difficult due to this fact, since all the Wolf player has to do is tap K if he thinks his opponent is going for the throw (f.ex. when your opponent successfully evades the first kick and thinks he has a free throw). The second built-in high kick is likely to connect if the first kick floats. Although the second part of this combo has the same sort of effect (though not as good) as Jacky's heelkick, the combo in itself is no way near as good as Jacky's, mostly due to the first part being slowish and hitting high and not a fast middle attack. Wolf can be thrown after the second kick is blocked. One of those new moves that catches people who have played VF2 for a long time but are still unused to VF3 (like Jeffry's triple uppercut and double starfleet maneuver). An OK defensive move is you're sure your opponent is going to try to throw you, but it's not quite good enough to be a combo one should use all too often. A strong opponent will be able to punish you quite regularly after either the first or second high kick misses. So if you're facing such an adversary the short shoulder is usually to be preferred, since it's a much stronger move and hits mid-level too. If you are sure the first high kick will either connect or be blocked, it is in effect a safe attack - providing you feel proficient enough to profit on the ensuning guessing games. Dodging kick K+E H 30 16-2-23 Wolf dodges and immediately High Kicks. Faster than manually dodging and then High Kicking. The dodge ducks under high attacks, but not for long. An unfavorable commitment: after a well-timed dodge it's easy to throw somebody who's barely whiffed an attack - in which case the opportunity is spoiled if one merely minor counter High Kicks them. Sure it works occasionally, but a dodge followed by a throw or short shoulder [float] and followup is usually to be preferred. But if you reckon that a dodge followed by a High Kick is the best option you have in a given situation, well, then that's what this move is for. All in all it's a pretty advanced move that's very difficult to use optimally (that's an understatement). The best use of this move is probably that the Kick can be cancelled (K+E, G), in effect making Wolf dodge as usual with the side bonus of it being impossible to throw Wolf in the middle of the dodge. An especially curious use of this move is when you find yourself with your back turned - G-cancelling the K+E will make Wolf crouch-dodge without turning around. Major style points available here, if you can find a use for it (if you feel like practicing, pick Lau - he has a TA attack and performs the move in the same way). Sidekick d/f+K M 28 16-2-37 More of a circular motion now, with the result that the victim is kicked slightly off-axis. Confuses the hell out of victims new to VF3 'cause it looks more like the VF2 version of his low kick than a sidekick. Fast (enough); great reach. Knocks down; Wolf can often pick up the victim afterwards, but it takes some experience. Tracks somewhat. Surprisingly difficult to dodge, and only possible at all if done in the right direction. Absurdly long recovery time. Along with the Grizzly Lariatt, Wolf's sidekick is one of his main distance attacks. Depending on who you're facing, you can at times get moderately far with just these two moves. Good offensive oki-zeme attack, ie performed so that it connects just as the victim is getting up from his roll. Served in small doses, Wolf's sidekick is a very effective way of keeping your potential victim standing and ready to be thrown. They did a good job of giving each character a unique sidekick in VF3, and Wolf's is no exception. Enjoy. Dodging sidekick d/f+K+E M 33 16-2-37 Wolf uses his front leg to kick slightly off-axis (with the animation of Wolf's old VF2 sidekick). The best thing I can think of about this move is that it avoids throw-attempts - which isn't a bad thing at all, except for the fact that all other things do too. Will connect against a victim standing directly opposite, and very close to, Wolf (ie. not dodging). An extremely difficult move to use optimally. If you predict that your victim will dodge, there's usually a better option than this move. If you know exactly when your opponent will dodge in a certain direction, this is an insanely stylish move to connect with at precisely the right distance and time. Even Dural would envy your timing. Drop Kick u/f+K M 40 23-5-29 (76 if it misses) After this move, Wolf is down on the ground. Looks very wrestler- like, esp. when it connects. MUCH better than in VF2, where it was pathetic. Now fast enough to use as a minor counter move, though easiest against whiffed attacks. Incredible reach. Aoi can easily ground throw Wolf when the move whiffs or is blocked (so can Wolf & Jeffry in certain situations); small pounce possible. It's possible to interrupt the move for a float, but hardly on pure reflexes. A little too slow to use against someone crouching stationary before you. Not a bad option when you're looking for a farreaching midlevel attack that doesn't leave Wolf quite vulnerable as when his sidekick misses. Wastes a few seconds when it misses - which can be both good or bad, depending on the situation. Lucky and/or hardcore VF'ers will connect an attack *immediately after* Wolf misses and is apparently lying on the ground (it evidently takes a few frames for Wolf to settle completely on the ground). Can be utilized as a low-risk oki-zeme tactic against low rising attacks - since it jumps over them, and a high rising attack will simply knock Wolf out of the air, usually not allowing for more than a small pounce, if that. Low Drop f, d+K L 20 16-1-49 Slightly easier to perform than in VF2, since the computer is more forgiving about the timing of the move. Better than in VF2, mostly because of the abovementioned fact. Works well buffered into the recovery of a more normal high- or midlevel attack. Does relatively little damage. Terrible recovery time, allowing for a throw or big attack when it misses. All in all the reward/risk ratio is not too enticing for Wolf. One of those moves that oddly enough works against practically anybody, just because it's uncommon enough that one doesn't recognize it fast enough to react to it. However, my advise is that it's better to underuse than overuse this move. Knee f+K M 30 15-2-30 Wolf jumps forward with a knee first. Air combo if it connects. Quick to execute, Wwolf's Knee fills an important niche in his impressive array of attacks. Only a small float is necessary for Wolf to be able to follow up with a shoulder plus pounce. Depending on the float, you might even be able to do more. Will hit victims getting up from the ground by rolling forward. It's short reach forces you to attempt it inside punching range, which means there's a good chance of being interrupted if you don't try it when you have a timing advantage (ie after blocking f.ex.an elbow). IMO, it is throw counterable when blocked, by a small but quite noticable margin. I haven't been able to work it out; maybe it depends on how far into the motion it is blocked. Go for a throw anyway - there's nothing more beautiful than doing a knee, having it blocked, then landing and immediately beginning to Twirl & Hurl or Arm Grip the hapless victim. A good variation of Hoppy-zeme: used just as your victim does a low rising attack, Wolf jumps over it and lands in time for an easy low-throw. If your supposed victim does a high attack, no throw is possible since Wolf is knocked down (as opposed to when Wolf gets hit because he's crouching, staggering him and giving the opponent a good possibility for a nasty followup). If you vary your timing a little, you might connect with the knee right after your victim gets up and crouches or attempts some other folly action. Oh, and this move alone makes Wolf clearly the favourite when facing Taka: a high throw is guaranteed after his Knee connects, in all circumstances. Flying Knee Kick f, f+K+G M 30 23-6-48 Sort of like an airborne Front Roll Kick; Wolf gets up afterwards. Good reach. Might hit somebody attempting to dodge in the wrong direction. Slow to execute, poor damage for such a risky attack; easily interrupted. Throw counterable, although it takes some experience to know exactly when to try to throw Wolf. In any case, one can just do a big damaging attack instead. Reversable, even. I suppose it still has it's very occasional uses, like when your opponent has his back turned at quite a distance away (so that he has difficulty punishing with a throw), and when there's less than a second left and the opponent is too far away for anything else having a chance of connecting. Ballet Kick f+K+G M 30 21-2-37 Changed a lot from the VF2 version; enough to deserve a name change anyway, IMO, although I still refer to it with it's old name, for nostalgic reasons. Wolf does a rather long hop forwards while executing this move. Doesn't dodge anywhere near as many attacks [as in VF2], but it hops over some low attacks. Good priority if it's allowed to come out. Telegraphs big time; very easy to interrupt if initiated close to the victim. Throw-counterable. All in all a relatively difficult move to connect with, which also makes it stylish when one does. The victim bounces on the ground, making it possible for Wolf to follow up with a strained Lowkick plus Front Roll Kick (entire combo: f+K+G, d+K, b, f+K+G) 81% of he time. Neck Cut Kick K+G H 36 20-4-37 Wolf jumps up and scissor-kicks the victim's neck. At the right range it's actually a pretty good attack. With proper timing and distance it has the ability to interrupt many punch- rushes. It's not exactly a quick way to do serious damage. Miss, and you will be ground-attacked. It dodges many attacks, but try to make sure that you will either hit with the move or be too early - initiated too late and you'll find yourself being float-combo'ed upon. Still excellent for wasting 4 seconds or so, which is a great option to have if you find yourself having a huge lead in health and can only imagine losing by RO or by more damaging attacks than ground attacks. Some people don't exactly admire this way of winning, mind you. But then, it's nothing compared to some of the techniques I've seen employed by Bastard Kage players. Front Roll Kick (FRK) b, f+K+G M 30 34-3-28 Wolf rolls over forwards, using his falling legs to attack the opponent. Quite unique move, this. Can be used as a ground attack; even tracks a little if the victim tries to get up. Very slow to execute, making it difficult to use as anything but a ground attack. Far from impossible though: good possibilities include as an attack to punish a whiffed rising attack (easiest if it's a low one) and when your opponent is approaching from quite a distance. Punishment possible when it misses and opponent is standing barely out of range: Aoi has an easy time ground throwing Wolf. Wolf and Jeffry can too, although it's slightly harder, esp. when it's blocked - all characters can do a small pounce, at least. Except, perhaps, Taka. Because of the moves' ability to hit victims while they're on the ground, this has now become a very common move for Wolf to use, often replacing the small pounce, since the damage is the same and the reach is longer. Level Back Chop P+K H 24 21-2-26 Shifting a little towards the opponent's back, Wolf sends a big horizontal one-handed chop. Can connect when the opponent dodges. The attack is too slow for Wolf to be able to use for with that intention in mind, though, unless he possesses exceptional mind-persuasion skills. Slow. Wolf is very vulnerable both before and after the attack. Still sucks big time, just like it did in VF2 (b+P in that version). Could somebody please tell me why this move is there, when it still sucks so much? My theory is that it acts as a punishment for when you mess up the short shoulder commands. I've found two hardcore uses fore this move: it'll catch a victim that dodges *after* you press P+K, and it can work as a minor counter to whiffed rising sweeps (even though it hits high). Grizzly Lariat d/f+P+K L 20 18-4-33 Getting down on one knee, Wolf lariats the opponent's ankles. Very fast, and with very long range. Since it's a circular motion, it's virtually impossible to dodge (this makes it a good attack against somebody standing with their back turned as well). One of the moves that can knock down a victim as he/she rolls towards you while getting up. Lowthrow-counterable. One of Wolf's best new additions to VF3. Effective as oki-zeme against somebody rolling to the side just as or after they finish rolling. Difficult for the victim to react to in time, but far from impossible. Usually more effective when used as part of a combo-string instead of a stand-alone attack, f.ex. in the middle of some quick high attacks. If Wolf could do this move from crouching, he'd be much stronger. Tomahawk Flash f+P+K H 20 15-3-23 A one armed chop attack. Will occasionally force the opponent into crouching position when it connects. Fast, for it's good reach. -1 Drinking Point against Shun. Reversable, inashiable. Absolutely no direct followup possible - a lowthrow is an option, but would prolly require some heavy conditioning with shoulders first. But hey, anything's possible. I'd advise against using this odd attack, except for show. The only time I ever use it is when I'm facing a (drunk) Shun player and the round is already decided by one of us having too large a lead in health for anything to change the outcome. Like Wolf's P+K, my theory is that it acts mainly as a punishment for when you mess up the short shoulder commands. Arrow Knuckle d+P+K M 20 13-2-30 Wolf does a hook in a downwards-travelling direction. Will occasionally force the opponent into crouching position when it connects. Very fast, surprisingly good reach. No guaranteed followup possible. Poor damage. Bad priority. Throw counterable. Acts well for harassing your opponent; also provides a small timing advantage when it connects, almost forcing your victim to guess whether you are going to do a Short Shoulder or throw. Can be used to set up some moderately interesting mindgames, but the move itself is not good enough for it to be worth going for this all too often. Short Range Shoulder b, f+P+K M 30 17-4-30 From a low posture, Wolf releases a short range shoulder ram. A serious candidate for the "Attack with the Best Priority in VF3" prize. Will interrupt everything except in freak occurrences. Floats when it connects; size of float varies. Good floats possible; easy to do close to 100 points of damage (incl. pounce), but practically impossible to do more. If you're going for pure distance, PPP is a safe and good option - the first punch and uppercut will connect, pushing the victim a good distance and giving Wolf ample time to position himself however he wishes compared to his downed opponent, distance-wise. Throw counterable. Interestingly enough, this move is difficult to counter with a striking attack. Without a doubt Wolf's most important addition since VF2. Largely useful in a lot of situations. A nice move to fall back on when you feel pressed, since no rush in the world can completely nullify it. Together with the standard lowkick- and PKG-throw "combo" you should capable of stopping any character from rushing you very far. Attack Lariat f+P+E H 40 24-16-31 Wolf's VF2 f, f+P attack. Will knock down a standing defender. Has good reach and very large hit-detection period. Even more of a striking attack (as opposed to a throw) now than in VF2, in the same style as Kage's catapult kick. Telegraphs big time. Anybody with any experience in playing Wolf will immediately recognize this attack and punish you after ducking it. So, in order to get it to work you need to condition your victim into standing and holding guard. Against strong players this is a very difficult thing to do for this move, since it has a very long initiation period (too long in my experience). Still, you can use it when you have an easy guaranteed throw and you know that the last thing your victim will do is crouch. All in all a rather uncommon move to see in high-level play, along the same line as Wolf's f, f+K+G. (although I guess it's all a matter of style). Tomahawk Chop u/f+P H 15 18-2-17 Wolf does a small jump into the air, raises both hands, and attacks with pathetic force. -1 Drinking Point on Shun. Avoids some low attacks, but won't, apart from a few exceptions, hit the opponent when he does the low attack, so what's the point? Absurdly small damage for such a crazy attack. Wolf is airborne during the attack, so even a punch that interrupts Wolf will allow for a float, and stronger attacks will result in a large float. Wolf's only hit 'n throw move - after it connects, you might go for f+P+G. The timing's difficult, though, and the throw is in no situations guaranteed. Hardly worth the risk in any situation. Very stylish against things like Akira's lowkick, tho' - esp. if you get the followup throw out as well. Tomahawk Chop-Throw u/f+P, f+P+G High-Frontal-Ca tch 15 + 60 = 75 1-0-86 After the Tomahawk Chop connects, Wolf takes a quick step forward, locks his hands around the victim's neck, turns around, and flips them over his shoulder. Pretty fast throw, but no ground attack guaranteed afterwards. As mentioned above, the Chop is kinda risky. Exceedingly difficult to get the throw in. Some say it requires an MC to work, some say it's guaranteed when the Tomahawk Chop minor counters, and some say the opponent must freeze and not do a thing while you enter the commands. I say I'll look into it for an eventual update for this FAQ. Shoulder Ram b, f+P N/A 20~70 19-5-35 Hits non-defending victims. Wolf topples over on the other side when victim crouches while holding G, but contrary to in VF2, Wolf does not get up and is thereby saved any severe punishment. Pick-up all but guaranteed when this moves knocks down a victim facing Wolf. Can do severe damage, esp. if it interrupts a big move for a MC bonus. One of those moves in life where deep and hard is the best way, no matter what they say. Throw-counterable or worse when it doesn't knock down. Doesn't track opponent. This move deserves to be recognized as one of Wolf's ways of doing serious damage. A good use for it is when you have a guaranteed throw, and your opponent is likely to attempt some sort throw-escape. It's a high damage move and conditioner in one. Be careful against Taka, though; he is even harder to knock down, with the result that Taka ends up being the one with the guaranteed throw. Fair enough, but there's no reason to play fair, is there (after all, Wolf is one of "The Knights Who Say 'Knee' "). Reverse Sledgehammer D, d/f, f+P M 30 14-3-39 Wolf swings his arms upwards from a crouching position, sorta like a when hitting a volleyball at midsection height (ok, so perhaps he's overdoing it a little). Very fast. Good priority. OK reach. Throw-counterable. Must be done from crouching. Beats many aggressive actions; esp. at the beginning of a round and similar situations. Produces uncommon animation of victim falling backwards when it connects, but apart from that there's no bonus to connecting with this move. Makes for very little reason to use it, since the short shoulder's payoff upon connection is much greater, doesn't have to be executed from crouching and the risk (being throw-countered) is the same. Three frames' worth of reason, to be exact. Comet Hook d/b+P M 19 12-1-27 The closest Wolf will ever get to having an elbow (an elbow attack... duh). Fast. Staggers crouchers. Not throw-counterable!! Poor damage, no guaranteed followup in any situation what so ever, though it comes close [to having a guaranteed followup] if the victim is staggering up against a wall. Does "Odd Damage" (19 points - how do they come up with this, one wonders?). Against less experienced players it's not that difficult to get a T&H after the stagger, but against hardcore opponents some serious conditioning is usually required. However, I've been enjoying considerable success with a plain Body Slam throw as a followup after the move staggering the victim. Being one of the extremely few moves Wolf has that isn't throw-counterable, this comes very much in handy when your opponent is trying to catch up on a large lead in energy by throwing you (either straightforwardly or as a counter to one of Wolf's many throw-counterable moves). A good round-ender when the victim has little energy left, even when used repetitively. Try not to whiff it, though. It has good harassment value, and works well when mixed up with the more efficient other very fast attacks like the infamous PKG-throw and likewise lowkick-MC-throw. If your victim consequently starts being cautious and passive after blocking the Comet Hook you can start catching them things like the Frankensteiner (u/f+P+G) or Grizzly Lariatt (d/f+P+K) - both work well even if they are wimpish enough to try to back away. Elbow Drop b+P H 20 13-3-31 Wolf leans forward while changing stance and attacks with an elbow towards the victim's face. Very fast, very good reach. Throw-counterable (*sigh*). Poor damage. A good move to have as a natural part of your attacks, ie only if you don't have to use it with very much conscious thought. It's two pluses make it the only move that'll connect when your opponent is open at a small distance away, f.ex. when Kage whiffs a heelkick not too far from you. Unfortunately, the poor damage this attacks does provides plenty of reason to underuse this move, since it's often more rewarding to concentrate on getting high damaging attacks like a shoulder or throw. Still, don't forget that the more you vary your attacks, the harder it is for your opponent to pinpoint exactly what is killing him. Sonic Upper d/f+P M 24 14[18]-2-25[29] Must be done from standing. What's with that name, anyway? Floats on MC's, with a shoulder and pounce/FRK practically guaranteed. Throw-counterable. Bad priority. Some Wolf players have developed a style where the uppercut plays a significant role in their arsenal of harassment moves. For me, it is simple not good enough a move to use very often. It is slightly too slow, has too short reach, does too little damage, and due to the long recovery of the move it leaves Wolf too open for retaliation when it doesn't hit and gives Wolf less of a timing advantage than his high punch would when it does. The positive aspect of the move (floats on MC's) is unfortunately nullified by the negative aspect (bad priority) - it's pretty hard to MC anyone with it. Vertical Upper D/F+P M 22 14-2-23 Much like Wolf's Sonic Upper, but starts off from crouching. Floats on MC's, with a shoulder and pounce practically guaranteed. Throw-counterable. Bad priority. Slightly more useful than the other uppercut, since it has a surprisingly long range for a move that's done from crouching; 't'might hit victims not expecting anything much except perhaps a lowkick or shoulder. However, in order for them to have the chance to think this, you might have to sit and crouch a bit, preferrably rather passively. All in all another of Wolf's rather bad moves. Screw Lariat (single) f, d/f, d, d/b, b+P M 20 12-2-31 Wolf punches while he spins around 360 degrees, building up momentum for his optional second canned-combo punch (Wolf seems to believe he's still in the wrestling ring, where such silly stunts belong). Staggers crouchers, even faster than a punch, although since it takes longer to perform the motions for this move than most others, buffering the motions into the recovery of another move in order to take advantage of this isn't a bad idea. Long recovery, throw-counterable. However... The optional second P that foils many attempts at counterattacking Wolf makes it possible to occasionally do just one Screw Lariat and get away with it, plus even occasionally freezes the opponent for a split second allowing for a comfortably buffered favourite throw of choice. Screw Lariat (double) f, d/f, d, d/b, b+P, P MH 20 + 20 = 40 23-2-25 Wolf punches while he spins around 360, adding momentum for another hook punch, this time hitting at high level. Second punch guaranteed if the first hits the victim (usually on MC's and when he's caught crouching). After missing this attack Wolf can only hope to not be punished. Hard. Plenty of conditioning possibilities here: if your opponent tends to attack after the first hit, a second P might catch him, if he waits just long enough to see you won't add the second punch, any quick attack like f.ex. a knee works wonders, and as mentioned above a throw will nail anybody too scared to do anything after blocking the first punch. Against hardcore opponents it can be difficult to get positive results using the Screw Lariat, but occasionally you do get to do things like (single) Screw Lariat [blocked], Twirl & Hurl, rejoice (f, d/f, d, d/b, b+P - b, d/b, d, d/f, f+P+G - u+both_arms). Body Blow f+P M 14 15-2-24 Wolf thows an underhand punch to the body. Good reach, relatively fast. Optional second built-in Blow possible. Bad priority, throw counterable. No likely followup upon normal hit. The throw-counterable part is almost dismissable, since one can just press P for the Dragonfish Blow and hit the throw-attempting opponent. This makes the move worth adding to one's list of harassment moves, along with the Comet Hook and ofcourse High Punch. The attack's good reach makes it most useful at medium to long-range distances, as well as in floats. Body Blow, Dragonfish Blow f+P, P MM 14 + 20 = 34 18-2-37 After the body blow, Wolf does a high hook in a downwards travelling direction. Guaranteed if the Body Blow MC's. Delayable. Not too good priority, but Wolf does dodge slightly in the initialisation phase, which helps a little. Easily throw-counterable. Due to the fact that the victim usually bounces along the ground when the move connects and that Wolf's recovery is so long, it's virtually impossible to followup with any ground attack. It can be bad for one's health to get too passive when standing within Wolf's throwing distance; unfortunately most people recognize this fact, but at least this makes the Dragonfish Blow actually connect quite often after the Body Blow is blocked. 3.2 RUNNING ATTACKS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Running Shoulder Ram running+P+K M 20~35 20-3-29 Wolf bends over while running and rams his opponent with his head & shoulders.. Usually knocks down, good priority. Prolly the best running attack in the game, along with Kage's slide and Taka's ram . Wolf topples over on the other side when victim crouches while holding G, but fortunately Wolf does not get up immediately on the other side and is thereby saved any severe punishment. Can do good damage, esp. if it interrupts a big move for a MC bonus. Another one of those moves in life where deep and hard is the best way, no matter what they say. A pickup after connection is all but guaranteed (as long as the victim is lying face up, feet towards). Not good for Wolf when dodged or blocked. The attack is in effect nicely delayable; when Wolf comes running in, an early ram will catch the victim if he tries to interrupt Wolf, and a later one will catch the victim deeply when he throws an attack out of fear of being thrown. Which is naturally also a good option, but then many things are in this situation. Makes for some interesting guessing games, with plenty of conditioning available. 3.3 THROWS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * German Supplex P+G H 60 20-120-1 Wolf lifts his victim up over his head in a head-down vertical position and falls down backwards with him. Standard P+G throw. Decent damage for a P+G throw. Opponent has a guaranteed backthrow when he escapes this one. It's usally not too good an idea to use this throw a lot on purpose, if you can avoid it. However, if your opponent knows this, perhaps he won't enter the escape commands for it too often. Body Slam d/f+P+G H 50 20-159-1 Wolf slams his victim into the ground, back first. Rather pro-wrestler like. Wolf's safest throw that's quick to input the commnds for. Drop Elbow ground attack guaranteed, pick-up or pounce possible if the victim is too dismayed to struggle much. Wolf finds himself on the ground after the victim escapes, with the victim having the guaranteed ground attack (not pounce). The throw's command-direction (down-forward) is unfortunately shared by another one of Wolf's throws, giving the victim even more incentive to try to escape the throw. Body Slam Wall Throw d/f+P+G H 50 + 30 = 80 103-97-1 Wolf slams the victim's back against the wall, then into the ground. Victim's back must be against the wall. Good damage. Since it's a wall-throw it cannot be escaped. Not too often one gets to do a wall-throw, but it happens (by far the most common way is after the victim is Twirl & Hurled into the wall and ground thrown (picked up)). Rather nice throw, on the whole. The victim's don't think so, though, I've noticed... strange. Steiner Screwdriver d/f, d/f+P+G H 80 20-194-1 Wolf lifts his victim up like in his usual P+G throw, but then lets him drop head first into the ground right in front of him instead. Ouch. Good damage, guaranteed pickup or ground attack (not pounce). Opponent has a guaranteed backthrow when he escapes this one. One of Wolf's best throws, and therefore one that that the victims often try to escape from. That Wolf's Body Slam throw also is escaped by entering df+P+G makes it even more likely for them to go for it. Still, the damage and guaranteed pickup makes this one of Wolf's main throws of choice. Twirl & Hurl b, d/b, d, d/f, f+P+G H 100 20-220{235}-1 The classic T&H, just like the goode ol' VF1 days. Wolf's swings his victim about by his legs for 2® turns and tosses them quite far behind him. Great damage, great R.O. potential, guaranteed pickup or ground attack. Takes a while for newbies to catch on and start entering the correct throw-escape commands in time. The only bad thing about this throw is that it is so good; victims will often try to escape it out of fear of being R.O.'ed or K.O'ed. Depending on the compition you're facing, and their choice of throw-escapes (or lack thereof), you might be able to get away with T&H'ing your victim every chance you get a throw, or you might practically never be allowed to. However, if your victim insists on always going for the T&H escape, it means your other throws are guaranteed to be carried through, so don't fret too much about it. Neutral position when escaped. Arm Grip (or "Wrist Lock Claw") f, d/f, d, d/b, b+P+G H 80 145-60-1 Wolf grabs the victim's wrist; then he hurls him to the opposite side. Similar to the move in professional wrestling where the wrestler throws his adversary to the ropes. Victim lands in a face-down feet-towards position. Good damage. Decent distance - and the victim is tossed in almost the opposite direction of the T&H too, giving Wolf even more R.O. potential. Although most semi-decent VF3 players have the T&H throw-escape down pat, very few have gotten used to entering the throw-escape commands for this one (although it does obviously take some skillful predicting on the opponents' side, since the T&H and Ghostbuster are both arguably better throws). No ground attack possible. Another of Wolf's best throws. Try running towards the the victim after the throw - if the victim rolls towards you, a running shoulder ram will connect nicely. Just be sure to not do the attack unless he does roll towards you, and to be prepared for any rising attack. I have been able to hit a victim rolling away from me after the throw, but it's a one-in-a-million shot, and not worth the risk. Neutral position when escaped. Frankensteiner u/f+P+G H 60 1-98-1(73) Catch Throw. This catch throw will be successful if during any part of the throws' execution time, Wolf makes contact with the standing opponent. Thus if Wolf is behind the opponent, he can still attempt the Frankensteiner; he will be successful if he contacts the back of the opponent's head. Fast throw, good reach, not escapable, reverses players' position, allowing for some sudden R.O.'s. Can be interrupted by any attack that connects on Wolf's body. Unlike normal throws it has a considerable initialisation phase. This move usually works against single punches. If you play a Wolf that's very mobile, you should be succesful relatively often with this throw. Obviously it depends muchly on the style, skill and reflexes of the other player, how often you attempt the throw, and the amount of [mental] energy you spend conditioning him into the state of passive submission this catch throw is so well designed for dealing with. The fact that this catch throw works form behind the opponent as well is very cute, but hardly useful. Arm Whip f, f+P+G H 60 1-111-1(63) Catch Throw. Wolf dashes toward the opponent, grabs his arm, and tosses him down. Good reach, useful for R.O.'ing the passive victim. Not escapable (if you have a guaranteed Arm Whip-minor counter, f.ex. after Jerky whiffs his kickflip, and you start the throw in time). Very slow, interuptable by anything, incl. high throws. This throw is so slow and interuptable that it it's extremely difficult to catch the victim with it, even for minor countering. Catch f+P+G H 0 1-0-55 The start of something good. After the catch, immediately input the command for the next part of the multi-throw. If you manage to get a hold of the victim, odds are you're gonna do some damage. The catch is slow and interuptable by anything, incl. high throws. If the victim guesses correctly about what next motion you go for, he will knock Wolf's arms off him or kick his leg, or both, in order to get free. He will [get free], but fortunately enough Wolf has a guaranteed high throw in this situation. Not for many frames, though, mind you, but enough for a seasoned Wolf player to choose and use whatever high throw he desires. Hardcore players know this, and go for an escape, so against such you have to other stylish options: G-cancelling a high kick while the victim's high throw escape attempt whiffs and then throwing him, or just shoulder ramming him. Ofcourse, hardcore players are aware of this too, and since lesser skilled opponents are per definition random in their spasmic playing, it all comes down to a guessing game. But it does feel nice when the victim knocks you out of a catch, only to find himself being R.O.'ed by an Arm Grip throw. Whether you use catch throws in your game is up to you, but IMO it is just slightly too bad to be worth using very often at all. But 'tis good for style. Push d/f+P+G (Combos after the Catch) 0 10-72-1 Wolf pushes the opponent so that his front faces Wolf. Continue as you please. Sets the victim up for Nasty Guessing Game (tm). Doesn't guarantee any damage. Your best options after this push include a Shoulder Ram that'll hit unless the victim really knows how to struggle, a dash in and throw that'll work unless the victim immediately attacks (there is no time for him to react to what you're doing, if you buffer the motions well enough) and ofcourse Fransteiner, Grizzly Lariatt, lowkick (in hope of MC'ing). Thunderfire Powerbomb P+G (Combos after the Catch) 20 + 40 = 60 20-220-1 Holding the opponent's hips, Wolf drops his neck down to meet his knee. Easy to enter commands for. Does little damage. The more options you have of doing damage after the catch, the better. Quick Supplex d/b+P+G (Combos after the Catch) 60 10-1-113 Wolf tosses the victim over his shoulder. One of the fastest way of doing damage after the catch. Victim ends up lying behind Wolf. Does little damage. Little oki-zeme possible after this throw. The more options you have of doing damage after the catch, the better. Front Supplex b+P+G (Combos after the Catch) 60 20-91-1 Wolf tosses the victim backwards over his head. One of the fastest way of doing damage after the catch. Victim ends up lying behind Wolf. Does little damage. Little oki-zeme possible after this throw. The more options you have of doing damage after the catch, the better. Change f+P+G (Combos after the Catch) 0 1-49-1 The start of something better. Wolf turns the opponent around on the back. Sets up possibilities of doing more damage with the following throw. Don't forget that Wolf has a guaranteed throw if his victim guesses correctly what followup Wolf does after the catch. However, after the Change, Wolf has no way of being sure of doing damage, since a succesful escape on the victim's part won't result in a free-throw situation for Wolf. It's a question of how much you want to gamble. German Supplex P+G (Combos after the Change) 70 1-142-1 Wolf tosses his victim backwards over his head. Better damage. Escapable. The more options you have of doing damage after the catch, the better. And this is not the worst. Push f+P+G (Combos after the Change) 0 40-1-100 Wolf pushes the opponent so that his back faces Wolf. Continue as you please. Shoulder Ram guaranteed after the Push. Escapable. If you feel like it, you can try to run up and throw the victim. Tiger Supplex b+P+G (Combos after the Change) 70 1-160-1 Wolf does a Tiger Supplex. Aren't you glad I'm here to clarify things for you? Pickup guaranteed. Escapable. Another one rides the bus. Calf Grinding d/f+P+G (Combos after the Change) 70 1-117-1 Wolf launches over his victim, toppling him or her and grinding his or her face into the ground. Looks painful. Escapable. Wolf ends up on the other side of the victim, so odds are he'll be the one closest to the edge. One can R.O. the victim with this if one is very close to the edge when one starts the throw. Kinda risky. Double Arm Supplex d/b+P+K+G L 70 20-163-1 Wolf lifts the crouching opponent up by his arms and swings him over to land behind Wolf. Good damage. Pickup or Elbow Drop guaranteed. Like the T&H, the only bad aspect about this lowthrow is that it's the best [lowthrow], with the result that sane players will often attempt to escape it. It feels as if one needs to be a smidgen closer in order to use this throw than the Tiger Drop, but I'm pretty sure it's not true. The explanation is probably that one can hold the df direction for a couple frames before pressing the buttons, thereby inching slightly closer to the victim (and when one does the bd lowthrow, one inches away). One cute thing worth remembering is that the victim ends up behind Wolf whether he escapes the throw or not. Can be useful when Wolf's back is towards the edge and you're looking for an easy R.O. Tiger Drop d/f+P+K+G L 70 20-160-1 Wolf lifts the victim up by the arms like in the Double Arm Supplex, but then front supplexes him, sorta like the Ghostbuster high throw. Decent damage. Some people are so used to escaping Jeff's df lowthrow that they have a tendency to go for that escape, even though they're playing Wolf. Just punish them with the Double Arm Supplex. No followup possible. The more lowthrows Wolf can do, the better the chance of them not being escaped. Side Supplex d+P+K+G L 60 20-90-1 Wolf bends over and wraps his arms around the victims torso and quickly spins them over and slams them on the ground behind him. Elbow drop guaranteed, pickup possible if victim doesn't struggle well. Fastest lowthrow. Does 10 points less damage than the other throws, but with the guaranteed Elbow Drop, things are still fine. The more lowthrows Wolf can do, the better the chance of them not being escaped. Sliding Leg Takedown P+G H Side Throw 50 15-119-1 Wolf drops to the floor while slipping his legs between the victim's and takes him down with a savage twist of his legs. Pretty quick throw. The victim lands a small distance away in the direction he was facing - this helps when you dodge an attack close to the edge of the ring and want to sidethrow the victim out of it. The least damaging throw Wolf has. Nothing special about this throw. Arm extension f, b+P+G or b, f+P+G H Side Throw 60 10-81-1 Wolf wraps his arm underneath the victim's and tosses him over his shoulder. Fast throw, better damage than standard sidethrow. Takes longer to perform than the other sidethrow. Doesn't throw the victim very far. The motions for this throw are unique, so it shows deliberate consideration of the situation on Wolf's side when he uses this throw on a victim, which in turn makes it ekstra stylish when used. Neck Lock and Break P+K+G L Side Throw 50 + 20 = 70 10-156-1 Wolf kinda sits on his victim, grabs a hold of his arm, rolls over, places his foot against the victim's neck while still holding the arm, and yanks the arm while snapping the neck. Good damage, very stylish. Ekstremely difficult to use, since the required situation is so unique. The easiest way to set up this throw is when you have a guaranteed lowthrow: dodge just as the victim enters the escape motions for one of Wolf's normal lowthrows. The victim's lowthrow-escape-attempt will result in a lowpunch, and hopefully you'll find yourself in a position where pressing P+K+G will produce a lowthrow. Note: this doesn't work against Wolf, Jeff or Aoi since the resulting action won't be a lowpunch, but rather a lowthrow attempt. A way to take advantage of this is ofcourse just to stand in front of them and T&H them in the middle of their whiffed lowthrow attempt, perhaps KG'ing just in case (to avoid a high throw). Shun will take a drink, allowing for a nice juicy Shoulder Ram. German Supplex P+G H Back Throw 80 20-157-1 Wolf hooks his arms around the victim's waist and supplexes him. Good damage. Pickup possible if the victim doesn't struggle well. Wolf has nothing to be ashamed of here. Go bug Akira instead. Too bad Wolf doesn't have the option of pinning his victim in place, making the victim have to struggle faster than Wolf to get out of the lock. T'would have been very pro. wrestler-like. And fun. Dragon Supplex b+P+G H Back Throw 85 20-150-1 Wolf hooks his arms ander the victim's arms and supplexes him. Looks almost exactly like The German Supplex backthrow. Good damage. Pickup possible if the victim doesn't struggle well. Wolf has nothing to be ashamed of here. Go bug Akira instead. Wolf is rewarded with 7 frames of execution time and a 5 point damage bonus for the added b direction in the commands. Yay. German Supplex P+K+G L Back Throw 70 20-150-1 Much like the P+G back throw: Wolf hooks his arms around the victim's waist and supplexes him. Good damage. Pickup all but guaranteed. Not often you get the chance to do a low back throw. The situation that usually allows for one is after Kage's bb+K+G TA sweep misses you. Would have been nice if they'd designed a whole new throw here. Double Claw aka "Pickup" d+P+G Ground Throw (victim face up) 0 1-109-1(80) When the opponent is on the ground, Wolf grabs him and pulls him up for further punishment. Often useful for adding distance to a succesful knockdown, plus gives the opportunity for doing heavy damage fast, at the expense of the damage given by a normal ground attack. Risky when one's timing is off - opponent often has time to do a rising attack or worse if one fails to Pickup him. The Pickup quickly became a classic move after VF3 came out, and still is. It is quite a nice option to have - useful in situations when one needs to do some major damage fast. There are about as many good followups to the Pickup as there are moves in Wolf's arsenal. Shoulders, throws (incl. catch throws), PKG into throw or other attack, lowkicking in hope of MC'ing or other attacks such as Grizzly Lariats and Sidekicks are all good options. But mostly, advantageous Pickuping depends on the Yomi skills of the two combatents. Well, except for in version 3.0 (read the "Scary Goodnight Story" down below..) Double Claw aka "Pickup" d+P+G Ground Throw (victim face down) 0 1-120-1(80) When the opponent is on the ground, Wolf grabs him and pulls him up for further punishment. Due to the difficult in succesfully picking up a victim who's lying face down, this move is reserved mostly for show. Use it. A wee bit too hard to get to use. Easiest when one the victim is lying sideways in front of you. Like after dodging a close-range Dropkick. 'Nuff said. 3.4 REVERSALS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dragon Screw d/b+P+K (Sidekick Reverse) 30 15-85-1 Wolf grabs the victim's attacking leg and spins it (and the rest of the victim - would be kinda messy otherwise) in a full circle, with the victim ending up lying on the ground. Looks good. I've always felt that Wolf's sidekick-reversal is a little easier to use on pure reflex than any other reversals. It seems possible to actually block a move for a couple frames and then reverse it anyway, albeit only against attacks slow in recovery such as Jeffry's Big Boot and Lion's sidekick... although maybe it's just a feeling I have. Requires either extremely good reflexes or good skills in predicting the opponent, preferably a good dose of both. Leaves Wolf open to any attack that isn't reversable, meaning that it hurts to be wrong about what your opponent will attack with. The CPU will throw you every time you miss a reversal at close range, but that's harder for humans to do. Despite the description of "Sidekick Reverse" this move can be used to reverse a lot of different attacks: all the characters' various sidekicks of course, but also other ones like Jeffry's Big Boot (ff+K), Kage's last kick in his PPEK combo, Jacky's sidekick in his PK combo (PK at close range) and even other kinda surprising moves like Lion's u+K!! Just like most reversals, anticipation is the key to successfully using this move. Captured b+P+K (High Kick Reverse) 40 20-125-1 Wolf grabs the victim's attacking leg, spins him over upsidedown, then front supplexes him. A very stylish move to use successfully - it can be hard to predict a highkick since they aren't very common (albeit way more common than in VF2). There are a few cases where it's possible to use on reflex, but the timing's difficult. F.ex. against the second kick in somebody's KK combo, Taka's huge b+K attack, and if you have the guts, Kage's uf+K+G. Requires either extremely good reflexes or good skills in predicting the opponent, preferably a good dose of both. Throw-counterable; Wolf will eat any attack that isn't reversable. The CPU will throw you every time you miss a reversal at close range, but that's slightly harder for humans to do. Wolf takes 5 pts of damage too (can make for some cute K.O.'s). Despite the description of "High Kick Reverse" this move can be used to reverse a lot of different attacksall the characters' various highkicks ofcourse, but also many other one-legged attacks such as heelkicks, puntkicks etc. Even works against moves like Wolf's Ballet Kick (f+K+G), Some of Jacky's d/b+KKKKK's and others. Just like most reversals, anticipation is the key to successfully using this move. Between Wolf's two reversals he can reverse 90% of any kicks, only excluding some spinning kicks and special attacks such as Kage's Corkscrew. However, since Wolf is hurt when he is incorrect about which attack the opponent will use, and that the timing is always tricky (esp for high kicks), one can safely say that reversals are definitely not one of his strong sides. But they sure come in handy from time to time. Plus, they often cause a cheer when used successfully, esp. the highkick reversal. 3.5 GROUND ATTACKS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Elbow Drop d/f+P+G Ground Attack 15 29-2-50 Wolf falls onto his opponent with his weight on his upper arm. Very pro.-wrestler-like. The fastest ground attack he has, this is often the only option he has that'll connect before the opponent has time to roll to the side. Leaves Wolf open to retaliation when it misses (by being too late). Standard ground attack. Wolf can sometimes be punished surprisingly severely when he misses this attack, so watch it with this one. Jumping Elbow Drop u+P Ground Attack 30 39-3-23(72) Wolf leaps high into the air and falls down onto the opponent with all his weight, using his back/torso to do the damage. Will automatically track to5wards the victim, no positioning is necessary (Wolf can even be facing the opposite way). Wolf ends up on the ground when he misses, which is usually to be preferred to the vulnerable situation most other characters find themselves in when they miss a pounce. Not the greatest reach. Wolf will usually eat a low rising sweep if he is a little too late in pouncing. The amount of damage doable and distance coverable depends on the ungulation; done uphill the pounce will cause less damage and have a shorter range; downhill, more and longer. Unlike other cha's like Jacky, Wolf will sometimes find himself very close to the victim after he gets up from the attack, forcing him into a high-risk oki-zeme situation. This is rarely a reason to avoid pouncing whenever possible though; the uniqueness about Wolf's pounce (that he stays on the ground when he misses) also supports this reasoning. High Jumping Elbow Drop d, U+P Ground Attack 40 39-3-23(72) Wolf leaps high into the air and falls down onto the opponent with all his weight, using his back/torso to do the damage. Will automatically track towards the victim, no positioning is necessary (Wolf can even be facing the opposite way). Wolf ends up on the ground when he misses, which is usually to be preferred to the vulnerable situation most other characters find themselves in when they miss a pounce. Not the greatest reach, but slightly farther than the low pounce. Wolf will usually eat a low rising sweep if he is a little too late in pouncing. The amount of damage doable and distance coverable depends on the ungulation; done uphill the pounce will cause less damage and have a shorter range; downhill, more and longer. Unlike other cha's like Jacky, Wolf will sometimes find himself very close to the victim after he gets up from the attack, forcing him into a high-risk oki-zeme situation. This is rarely a reason to avoid pouncing whenever possible though; the uniqueness about Wolf's pounce (that he stays on the ground when he misses) also supports this reasoning. Back Splash u+K Ground Attack 16 32-3-76(61) Wolf does a small somersault and lands on the opponent with his back. Causes special animation of getting up, tentatively nicknamed "Wolf's Bad Back", when it misses. Has longer reach than the Elbow Drop and is faster than a regular pounce. Leaves Wolf open for easy punishment when it misses due to the special animation that causes. Does in no way track the victim (Wolf does the move in the exact direction he is facing), so it's usually a good idea to tap G in order to align oneself with the victim lying on the ground before Back Splashing him or her. Pushes the victim along the ground if it connects before they've fully settled on the ground. 3.6 TURN TOWARDS ATTACKS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Since Wolf has practically zero attacks that put him in a facing-away position, and the only throws that do so leave the opponent a guaranteed backthrow, you probably won't be spending too much of your time using turn towards attacks. However, some of the other dopey characters do roll around on the ground in confusion, so it does occasionally become relevant what options are available. TT punch P H 12 11-1-21 Wolf turns towards his opponent with a standard high punch. Can be used as the first punch in any one of his normal punch-combos. Hits high. Not much to say about this move. 'Tis simply a TT punch. TT punch D+P H 12 14-2-25 Wolf turns towards his opponent with a standard high punch. Can be used as the first punch in any one of his normal punch-combos. Hits high. 3 frames slower than when executed from standing. Not much to say about this move. 'Tis simply a TT punch. TT kick K H 36 14-3-26 Wolf turns towards his opponent with a standard high kick. Can oddly enough not be used as the first kick in his KK combo, even though it looks like it. Pretty good damage. Hits high. Not much to say about this move. 'Tis simply a TT kick. TT Single Hammer d+P M 30 15-3-23 Wolf turns towards his opponent with an attack sorta resembling his Dragonfish Blow. Good reach. Knocks down. Bad priority, throw-counterable. It's good aspects make this move worth considering, but unfortunately the bad ones are pretty serious - enough so to make this more of a stylish than useful move. But on the other hand: hey, if it works, it works! TT Low Drop Kick d+K L 36 16-2-33 Wolf does his Low Drop attack from a face-away position. Looks like this move was initially meant for this position in mind; apparrently they decided to give it him from facing towards as well. Knocks down, Wolf dodges high attacks while performing the move. Does pretty good damage; curiously enough 80% more than Wolf's standard [facing towards] Low Drop. Terrible recovery time, allowing for a throw or big attack when it misses. Usually Wolf's best option for a TT attack. TT Low Drop Kick D+K L 36 17-1-39 Wolf does his Low Drop attack from a face-away, crouching position. Knocks down, Wolf dodges high attacks while performing the move. Does pretty good damage; curiously enough 80% more than Wolf's standard [facing towards] Low Drop. Terrible recovery time, allowing for a throw or big attack when it misses. Obviously the same move as the above one, apart from the frame stats - Wolf pay a small price for being allowed to do it from crouching. Besides these TT attacks, there are a few other options for when you find yourself with your back turned: Run Away F+E n/a 0 11-0-0 Wolf runs away from his opponent. Avoids any attack or throw attempt aimed at his back, if initiated in time. Watch out for the edge of the ring. If the opponent immediately starts running after you, you might find that the situation hasn't improved at all. Can be kinda comical if you run from one end of the stage all the way to the other side, esp. if it's a large stage and the opponent stays at the other end. You might yell sometihng like "Run away! Run away!" in homage to Monty Python, even. TT Evade E n/a 0 15-0-0 Wolf ducks, dodges/evades, and turns to face his opponent. The dodge will evade most liniar attacks aimed at Wolf. Any throw attempted within throwing range is likely to succeed, though it might be a normal high throw and not a back throw that comes out. If your opponent predicts that you'll do a TT Evade and steps up to throw you, you'll have to be lucky to escape unscathed. If you predict that your opponent will try to throw you, and you want to do something more fancy than a TT attack, see below... Backwards G-cancelled-K-Evade K+E, G n/a 0 12-1_to_4-0 Wolf semi-crouch-dodges without turning around. If you hold down after pressing G, Wolf will continue to crouch, thus avoiding any high throw attempt, be they backthrows or otherwise. Wolf is still turned away upon the move's completion. We are talking about an absurd one in a million chance or so of actually timing this right, and then gaining by it. In my dreams I see myself dodging something like Kage's Catapult Kick with my back turned using this move, and then stepping up and back throwing him. You can practice the K+E, G facing towards as well, btw. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ + 4 + STRATEGY SECTION + ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Play well. Have fun. Backdash as much as you want to, see if it helps you (that's a comment meant for those people that think machi, and backdashing, is cheap). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + 5 + COMPRESSED MOVELIST + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I couldn't for the life of me work out a way to arrange all the columns so they fitted into one screen in a .txt file Move Command Damage Frames Hit level Reversable by ---- ------- ------ ------ --------- ------------- BODY ATTACKS Low punch (from standing) d+P 11 16-1-14 L Akira, Aoi Low punch (from crouching) D+P 9 10-1-14 L Akira, Aoi Low kick d+K 17 16-1-28 L Akira, Aoi High punch P 14 12-2-13 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Dodging high punch P+E 14 12-2-13 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage High punch, Kick P, K 14+20=34 12-2-25 HH Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf High punch (double) P, P 14+14=28 9-1-19 HH Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage 1, 2, Upper P, P, P 14+14+24=52 18-2-29 HHM Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage 1, 2, Elbow Smash P, P, f+P 14+14+16=44 12-2-25 HHH Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Combo Elbow Swat P, P, f+P, b+P 14+14+16+20=64 13-3-31 HHHH Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Combo Elbow, Low Throw P, P, f+P, d/b+P+K+G 14+14+16+70 20-163-1 HHH Lowthrow Escapable by all. High Kick K 30 16-2-23 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf Double High Kick K, K 30+20=50 21-2-34 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf Dodging kick K+E 30 16-2-23 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf Sidekick d/f+K 28 16-2-37 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf Dodging sidekick d/f+K+E 33 16-2-37 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf Drop Kick u/f+K 40 23-5-29 (76) M None. Low Drop f, d+K 20 16-1-49 L Akira, Aoi. Knee f+K 30 15-2-30 M Akira, Aoi, Pai. Flying Knee Kick f, f+K+G 30 23-6-48 M None. Ballet Kick f+K+G 30 21-2-37 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf Neck Cut Kick K+G 36 20-4-37 H None. Front Roll Kick b, f+K+G 30 34-3-28 M & ground None. Level Back Chop P+K 24 21-2-26 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Grizzly Lariat d/f+P+K 20 18-4-33 L Akira, Aoi Tomahawk Flash f+P+K 20 15-3-23 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Arrow Knuckle d+P+K 20 13-2-30 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Short Range Shoulder b, f+P+K 30 17-4-30 M None. Attack Lariat f+P+E 40 24-16-31 H None. Tomahawk Chop u/f+P 15 18-2-17 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Tomahawk Chop-Throw u/f+P, f+P+G 15+60=75 1-0-86 Highthrow Escapable by none. Shoulder Ram b, f+P 20~70 19-5-35 Non-defenders None. Reverse Sledgehammer D, df, f+P 30 14-3-39 M ? Comet Hook d/b+P 19 12-1-27 M Akira, Aoi, Pai Elbow Drop b+P 20 13-3-31 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Sonic Upper d/f+P 24 14[18]-2-25[29] M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Vertical Upper D/F+P 22 14-2-23 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Screw Lariat (single) f, fd, d, db, b+P 20 12-2-31 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Screw Lariat (double) f, fd, d, db, b+PP 20+20=40 23-2-25 MH Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Body Blow f+P 14 15-2-24 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage Body Blow, Dragonfish Blow f+P, P 14+20=34 18-2-37 MM Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage THROWS German Supplex P+G 60 20-120-1 High-Frontal Body Slam d/f+P+G 50 20-159-1 High-Frontal Body Slam Wall Throw d/f+P+G 50+30=80 103-97-1 High-Frontal-Towards_Wall Steiner Screwdriver d/f, d/f+P+G 80 20-194-1 High-Frontal Twirl & Hurl b, d/b, d, d/f, f+P+G 100 20-220{235}-1 High-Frontal Arm Grip (or "Wrist Lock Claw") f, d/f, d, d/b, b+P+G 80 145-60-1 High-Frontal Frankensteiner u/f+P+G 60 1-98-1(73) High-Frontal-Catch Arm Whip f, f+P+G 60 1-111-1(63) High-Frontal-Catch Catch f+P+G 0 1-0-55 High-Frontal-Catch Push d/f+P+G 0 10-72-1 (Combos after the Catch) Thunderfire Powerbomb P+G 40+20=60 20-220-1 (Combos after the Catch) Quick Supplex d/b+P+G 60 10-1-113 (Combos after the Catch) Front Supplex b+P+G 60 20-91-1 (Combos after the Catch) Change f+P+G 0 1-49-1 (Combos after the Catch) German Supplex P+G 70 1-142-1 (Combos after the Change) Push f+P+G 0 40-1-100 (Combos after the Change) Tiger Supplex b+P+G 70 1-160-1 (Combos after the Change) Calf Grinding d/f+P+G 70 1-117-1 (Combos after the Change) Double Arm Supplex d/b+P+K+G 70 20-163-1 Low-Frontal Tiger Drop d/f+P+K+G 70 20-160-1 Low-Frontal Side Supplex d+P+K+G 60 20-90-1 Low-Frontal Sliding Leg Takedown P+G 50 15-119-1 High-Side Arm extension f, b+P+G or b, f+P+G 60 10-81-1 High-Side Neck Lock and Break P+K+G 50+20=70 10-156-1 Low-Side German Supplex P+G 80 20-157-1 High-Back Dragon Supplex b+P+G 85 20-150-1 High-Back Frankensteiner u/f+P+G 60 1-98-1(73) High-Back-Catch German Supplex P+K+G 70 20-150-1 Low-Back Double Claw aka "Pickup" d+P+G 0 1-109-1(80) Ground Throw (victim face up) Double Claw aka "Pickup" d+P+G 0 1-120-1(80) Ground Throw (victim face down) RUNNING ATTACKS Running Shoulder Ram running+P+K 20~35 20-3-29 M None. GROUND ATTACKS Elbow Drop d/f+P+G 15 29-2-50 Ground Jumping Elbow Drop u+P 30 39-3-23(72) Ground High Jumping Elbow Drop d, U+P 40 39-3-23(72) Ground Back Splash u+K 16 32-3-76(61) Ground TURN TOWARDS ATTACKS TT punch (from standing) P 12 11-1-21 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage TT punch (from crouching) D+P 12 14-2-25 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage TT kick K 36 14-3-26 H Akira, Aoi, Pai, Wolf TT Single Hammer d+P 30 15-3-23 M Akira, Aoi, Pai, Kage TT Low Drop Kick from standing d+K 36 16-2-33 L Akira, Aoi TT Low Drop Kick from crouching D+K 36 17-1-39 L Akira, Aoi REVERSALS Dragon Screw d/b+P+K 30 15-85-1 Sidekick Reversal Captured b+P+K 40 20-125-1 High Kick Reversal ++++++++++++++ + 6 + FLOATS + ++++++++++++++ Unfortunately Wolf is not a great floater, in the sense that when he does float there aren't very many options worth considering. There are four main things that influence the size of the float: ungulation, the weight of the floatee, what position he was in when the attack connected, and whether he was MC'ed or not. A passive crouching Jeff will float the least, f.ex., while a short shoulder that MC's Sarah in the middle of some kind of jump will result in a huge float. I've tried to jot down Wolf's most useful float "combos". What produced the float is irrelevent, though odds are it's a short shoulder or knee. Most floats will allow for a ground attack of some sort, incl. possibly a ground throw, but enough things to do with this vary that I thought it best to avoid mentioning all the possiblities. Just for fun I'll just wirte the names of the moves: that way you might have to try to learn them all. You can then call them out as you are playing, like a true professional wrestling fan...: "Dropkick!! ... WHAM!" "Sonic Upper leading to Elbow Drop" "oooh, a Body Slam-Wall Slam combo" "MC Knee, Punch, Punch, Upper, Back Splash ULTRAAA COMBOOOOO". etc Here they are, in relative difficulty from the easiest to the hardest. You could undoubtably make up some more of your own. Depressingly, the most damaging and easiest ones to connects with are the most boring, f.ex [Float,] Short Shoulder, Large Pounce. Try to imagine all the moves mentioned below in this context: [Float], *move*, optional ground attack. Lowpunch. Lowkick. Comet Hook. Punch. Arrow Knuckle. Body Blow. Knee. Short Shoulder. PPUpper. Low drop. Grizzly Lariat. Lowpunch, Short Shoulder. Lowpunch, Knee. Body Blow, Dragonfish Blow. Short Shoulder, Low Kick. Punch, Low Kick. Punch, Comet Hook. Punch, Low Punch. Punch, Body Blow. Punch, Arrow Knuckle. Punch, Punch. Punch, Low Drop. Punch, Grizzly Lariat. Punch, Sidekick. Punch, Body Blow, Dragonfish Blow. Short Shoulder, Short Shoulder. 1, 2, Elbow Smash. Combo Elbow Swat. Knee, Shoulder. Shoulder Ram. Dropkick. Short Shoulder, running Shoulder. Punch, Dropkick. ++++++++++++++ + 7 + JARGON + ++++++++++++++ BK Bastard Kage. A kage player who plays like a bastard. I won't mention any names here, but it is tempting. Buffer To execute the motions for a move while one's character is recovering from something (attack, dodge, stun/stagger etc), thereby shaving precious frames off the time one's character is passive while you enter the commands. Typically throws [that require more than one input], f.ex. T&H, but also moves like shoulders and Wolf's Screw Lariat. Counter "Countering" in vf means punishing an attacking opponent; there are two types of countering: when one hits somebody in the initialisation or hit-detection phase of a move they are making, it is refered to as a Major Counter. This affects two things: the damage of the move doing the MC'ing is multiplied by 1.5, and the victim is either knocked down with a larger float than usual or stunned in place for an extra long time (f.ex., if Wolf's lowkick MC's, he has a guaranteed highthrow). When the attack hits the victim in his recovery phase, it is referred to as Minor Countering. This is far less severe than an MC, but is still rewarded with a damage multiplier of 1.25. When an attack is said to be throw-counterable, it means the other player will have the opportunity of a free throw after blocking the attack. Countering is not to be confused with reversing. CPU Usually refers to a/the computer controlled opponent, but occasionally, and more appropiately, it means the... err... the machines brain. Dodge New to VF3, the standard dodge is executed by pressing E or d+E. There are many variations to this aspect of VF3; I suggest you check the Dodge FAQ for more info if you feel like it. Some moves are said to be "dodging" moves, not because the character moves sideways, but because the he contorts himself in such a way while he is perfoming the move that it becomes [more] difficult to hit him. Dural In VF3 context: The "boss" character you meet at the end of a single player game. E'ing Same as dodging. FK Fair Kage. A noble and almost extinct race. Frankensteiner Wolf's uf+P+G catch throw. See throw section for more detail. FRK Wolf's bf+K+G Front Roll Kick. Ghostbuster Wolf's df, df+P+G throw. See throw section for more detail. Hoppy-Zeme A variation of Oki-Zeme, Hoppy-Zeme is, as the name implies, Oki-Zeme with hopping involved, usually over a low rising sweep, but also f.ex. landing under a high rising attack with a sweep like the ones Lau and Shun can do. Mentioned under the "Knee" section of the comprehensive movelist. K.O. Knock Out. MC, MC'ing See "Counter". Minor Counter See "Counter". Oki-Zeme The art of taking advantage of the situation when one's opponent is attempting to get up after being knocked down, be it by attacking him as he is rolling, punishing a missed rising attack or simply utilizing the initiative one has after he gets up. Opponent The person you are playing against. Player, Other See "Opponent". Priority In VF, all attacks have a certain priority, depending on the nature of the move. Sorta a fuzzy subject, since it (the "priority") depends on a lot of different things, f.ex. the strength of the attack and whether the attacker dodges while performing the move etc. But in general it's just a measure of how it *feels*. I'm kinda bad at explaining this, but let me give an example: Wolf's Knee attack feels as if it has better priority than his high kick, even though their frame stats are almost identical. Some of the moves in the game with the highest priority are f.ex. Akira's and Lau's Double Palm and Akira's and Wolf's Short Shoulder - they don't get interupted as often as most other moves. TFT Ten Foot Toss. Kage's b+P+G throw. T&H Twirl & Hurl. By most people considered Wolf's main throw, and by many the main throw of the game - simply because it is arguably the best throw (damage-wise, distance-wise, followup-wise, and last and least one-of-the-hardest-throws-to-escape-wise). And 'cause off it's class, ofcourse. TFT'ers go home. Victim See "Opponent". Yoda Rules. Yomi Sorry, only for the initiated. ++++++++++++++++ + 8 + OBITUARY + ++++++++++++++++ I bet you skipped right down to this part, eh sicko? Well, sorry to dissapoint you, but: No electronis pets were in any way harmed or neglected during the making of this FAQ. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + 9 + A SCARY GOODNIGHT STORY + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WARNING: Do not read immediately prior to bedtime! May cause severe recurring nightmares! I had the pleasure of playing on the first version of VF3 that came out for several months, before they upgraded it. Wolf was very much stronger in that version; enough so for me to be convinced that he was the strongest character. Here are a few examples of how he was stronger than he is in the current version most people in the West are currently playing on: 1) Wolf's ground throw allowed for a free throw of choice, although some were, because of the nature of the motions required, easier to use than others (Ghostbuster was easier than Arm Grip, f.ex.). 2) Wolf had a practically *guaranteed* sidekick (+ a following guaranteed ground throw) after his ground throw, unless the victim knew exactly how to avoid it: tap G a few times and then hold it just as the sidekick is about to hit - there was no other way to avoiding getting hit by the sidekick, no matter how well you struggled with the joystick and P, K and/or E. 3) The ground throw was in general very easy to follow up with after practically every knockdown, and it recovered easily fast enough to avoid any retaliation if one were to miss it. Knee, lowpunch, short shoulder, ground throw was a practically guaranteed "combo", one just had to connect with the knee. 4) Besides having the guaranteed throw and nasty sidekick trick after a Pickup, Wolf could ofcourse still do anything from short shoulders (which *would* catch a dodging victim) and frankensteiners, to grizzly lariats and MC'ing lowkicks-into-throws, or even the more advanced techinique of a G-cancelled high kick or crouchdash to avoid getting thrown when the victim desperately enters a throw-escape, into a throw. Hell, because of all these options, one could often just sit back, laugh a evil cackling laughter, and punish the panicking victim as he ran screaming around the ring. All in all a devestating array of options applicable to a situation that occured way more often than it does in the newer versions of VF3. And since a ground throw was guaranteed after the Twirl & Hurl, the Ghostbuster, the sidekick and the short shoulder, it meant that Wolf had an excellent chance of K.O.- or R.O.'ing his victim after just one ground throw. Talk about comebackability. 5) Wolf's Front Roll Kick was considerably faster, and *always* pushed the victim along the ground - there was no special animation of landing on top of the victim. ...and last but not least: 6) I was the only one playing Wolf in my area :-) A-WOOOOOOOOOO!! +++++++++++++++ + 10 + MANTRA + +++++++++++++++ Style is nothing. Yomi is everything. Obey your Yomi. (huh?, ed.) +++++++++++++++++++++++++ + 11 + ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS + +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kudos for this helping out with this FAQ, be it in one way, another, several, or none, go to: Jirawat Uttayaya aka "Peaking Duck" For translating the original move-list immediately after the game surfaced. Without his efforts I would have had a much harder time finding all the moves new to Wolf in VF3. This being only one of an astounding amount of contributions Jirawat has done for the VF'ing community of the years, I would like extend my heartfelt thanks to him on the behalf of everybody who has taken for granted that someone did the work he has done. Thank you, Peaking Duck; I hope you never lose your interest in the game, so that we can keep enjoying the high-quality information you are constantly making available to the general public in the West. Sincerely. All (yes, this list is complete!!) the danish VF3 players: ---------------------------------------------------------- Lars Holst Sorensen aka "Lars" For playing well enough to withstand anything I can throw at him, and developing the strongest Lau techniques I have seen to date, forcing me to constantly search for new ways of playing Wolf in order to get a decisive edge. The quest goes on... Ki Nam Kwon For showing me that it's not only the classical strongest characters (can anybody say "Jerky"?) that seem overpowered at times; it's just a matter of... skill? *gasp* Wiqas Butt aka "The Mighty Butt" for continuosly discovering - and using - loads of crazy stuff that, over time, has helped me to remain unfazed when weird things happen during a game of VF3. Thomas "Dooble-Palm" For showing what predictability can do to a vf'er. Saaby "DalaWuss" (yes, that's two S's, NOT Z's ;-) For playing interesting characters. Soren For spying for us. Tobias For good spirit. Gorm For never giving up. 3 young brats For comic relief. And a few others, just for the hell of it: ------------------------------------------ Derrick Lynch For actually organizing something major. Encore! #vfhome regulars (you know who you are) For idling whenever I try to get a discussion started, ensuring that I don't waste *too* much time hanging around on IRC. But Myke had a few good suggestions/corrections, and CrewNYC liked the FAQ enough to post it at http://www.liii.com/~animenet/html/411.htm. London and Californian vf'ers For providing ample resistance. Too bad resistance is futile. :-) All the Victims and Scrubs (R.I.P.) For letting me practice and perfect my techniques on them. Notice the lack of a smiley. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + 12 + LEGAL AND OTHER CRAP + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you wanna include this in any publication of any kind in any form whatsoever, you gotta ask me for permission first. This includes WWW sites. Private distribution among VF'ers is not only allowed, I both encourage and appreciate it. Just please try to tag my email addy on it , so people have a chance to mail me critisism. Mail concerning anything to do with this FAQ is always read, but I don't promise to reply. Much. ++++++++++++++++++ + 13 + AFTERWORD + ++++++++++++++++++ It's been... an experience.. jotting this down on and off during most of '97. Should've finished it, like, waaaaay long ago, but I can't help playing the game instead of just typing out a FAQ. And no, I am not gonna write a Pai FAQ. - Jan Andrew Bloxham aka Luke Skywalker, Copenhagen 26th Oktober 1997